9/30/2004 @ 6:00AM

The Sysco Kid

You may not be thinking about what you’ll eat for lunch today, but
Richard J.
Schnieders
Richard J. Schnieders
has already thought about it.

227383
Richard J. Schnieders
Sysco
As chairman and chief executive officer of North America’s largest food-service distributor,
Sysco
, he oversees food delivery to 400,000 restaurant and food-service customers, which feed millions of people every week. Among his largest customers is fast-food giant
Wendy’s International
, which is serviced by Sysco’s chain-restaurant supply subsidiary SYGMA. In addition to food products, it also provides such nonfood items as paper products, kitchen equipment and cleaning supplies.

In August, Houston-based Sysco announced fiscal-year net earnings of $907 million on sales of $29 billion, up 17% and 12%, respectively.

Schnieders, 55, who was born in Iowa and graduated in 1970 from University of Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, has worked at Sysco since 1982. The former president and chief operating officer, he replaced 28-year veteran
Charles
Costros
Charles Costros
, who stepped down on Jan. 1, 2003.

What else is on his plate these days? Schnieders is concentrating on the debut of a new distribution center near Boston, and he’s mulling over topics like avian flu, nutrition and genetically modified ingredients.

Recently he shared with Forbes.com some of his thoughts on family, the importance of specialty brands and the pleasures of European history:

What five words would you use to describe yourself?

A generalist, curious, optimistic, thoughtful, balding.

What was the first job you had after college?

I was a journeyman meat cutter.

What do you consider to be your greatest personal accomplishment?

I would say raising with my wife our two bright, caring daughters–young women doing well in their own right. We’re very proud of them.

What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishment?

I guess I would say, in my prior job here at the corporate office, I initiated our specialty brands. At Sysco we sell our own branded product. Up until 1994 or 1995, all of that came under the Sysco moniker, the Sysco logo. Recognizing some changes–including the demand for Italian, Tex-Mex, deli foods and Asian foods–we built four specialty brands. It allowed us to grow our Sysco brand of business with our customers of all kinds.

What was the defining moment of your personal life?

Unquestionably our marriage. My wife has been an inspiration and a great helpmate. Helpmate, I don’t know if that’s a word. She’s very bright and thinks through issues. She’s someone I trust.

What was the defining moment of your professional life?

I guess I would have to say the promotion to CEO, with all the plusses and minuses, particularly in today’s environment.

What was the greatest challenge you faced in your personal life?

Our daughters going off on their own. We’re really proud of their independence. When the older and the younger daughter went off to college a long way from Houston, that was tough on dad. Neither of them lives anywhere close to us today. The independence is good but a real challenge.

What was the greatest challenge you faced in your professional life?

I think it’s working with the Sysco team to reorient the company for the future. We have been so successful. There’s the whole idea that because we’ve been so good at what we do, let’s not change anything. In fact, all companies have to change. Figuring out how to do that in a strong culture so we are positioned for the future–it’s an ongoing challenge and we continue to face it.

What is your favorite activity outside of the office?

I guess reading history. It’s European history at the current time. It sort of helps me put the business in a broader context. It helps, for instance, to understand some of the issues related to globalization. What are the competing demands, the competing ideas that are out there? How do we respond to that? Food habits are influenced by all corners of the globe. For example, genetically modified products: There are different issues in Europe than there are here in the U.S. I think an understanding of history underpins why there are different attitudes.

What would you most like to be remembered for?

I think it sounds kind of highfalutin, but honesty and fairness. A lot of times, people don’t want to hear the honest answer. Couching those honest answers in an appropriate way, it’s hard.

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